Green Smoothie Virgin!!

This is my cousin Tyler's first green smoothie!!

Gotta Love it!!

Thank you Aunt Marcy for the great influence!!

speed of sound

It is the last day of February!

Can you believe it?

March is set to be an amazing month. It starts with a weekend in Long Beach, California!!

I will be attending a conference for school, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which will host many guest speakers. One will be Seane Corn who I am super excited to see. She has had a huge influence and has been an inspiration for my yoga practice and teaching style.

http://www.seanecorn.com/

I will have lots to share when I get back!!

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A new recipe.......from Barbara Mendez!!

rootsandseeds.com

I finally gave this recipe a try. My husbands favorite sauce is Pesto. Since we started dating I have been trying to make a tasty version that is vegan. Some have been edible and some not so much!

This recipe is the closest I have come to a great tasting green sauce!

KALE PESTO

INGREDIENTS

4 shallots

4 cloves garlic

1 cup nuts toasted, I used 1/2 walnuts & 1/2 pine nuts

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice ( to start )

pinch pepper

few pinches salt

big bunch of kale ( curly )( hard stems cut off )

pasta of choice

DIRECTIONS

-bring a large pot of water to a boil

-add shallots and garlic

-boil 3 minutes

-toast nuts

-put aside

-add nuts to high speed blender

-along with the evoo, lemon, pepper & salt

-add kale to boiling water for 10 seconds

-remove shallots and garlic first into blender

-then kale into blender

-blend until smooth

TASTE TEST!!

-add more lemon & spices if desired

I added a ton of lemon and a little salt.

Boil pasta, in the same water, I like brown rice or quinoa pasta.

Serve with salad, sundried tomatoes, or caprese salad!

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Have a beautiful day.

xoxoxo

inspired

This is a shot from Driftwoods in Vero Beach Fl.

This hotel was built in 1920 with ....yes....driftwood! & wood collected from all over Florida.

Pretty cool!!

Tonight I am going to see the Paul Taylor Dance Company @ the Duncan Theater.

I am super excited about seeing a modern dance company especially one that is so classic.

Takes me back to my past life!!

Have a great day!

xoxo

cleaner!

These are a few more pics from last weekends beach clean up!!

I love Florida!!

School Days!!

I am blessed and honored to be a part of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition this year. I am in my second month of school and it has far surpassed anything I could have imagined. Once a month I check in with a practicing Holistic Health Counselor who guides me through the process of being in school and doing the work for myself as well. There has been a transformation and awakening into this more conscious state. It's been a fantastic journey thus far and I can't wait to share these tools with others.

I have always been drawn to the holistic world having to do with nutrition, but mostly finding a full life balance. 

How do we create the life that we dream of?

How do we live the way we already know will best serve us?

How do we support everyone as we support ourselves?

How do we get to a place of looking and feeling amazing?

These are the things that I am awakening to and experiencing for myself.

Through this I will become a Certified Holistic Health Counselor and I am so excited for it!!

This is an amazing way for us to connect in a whole new way!

As always I will share little bits and pieces of my journey through the school year....feel free to ask any questions!

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This weekend I attended Prayer for Peace.

An offering by Karma Krew which is a service inspired non-profit organization whose mission is to mobilize the collective energy of the yoga community to expand the practice beyond the walls of the studios and into the hearts of our communities.

We gathered BEFORE sunrise!!

Formed a peace sign in the sand.....

meditation,

mantra,

and beach clean up!!

The sunrise was phenomenal and the group was vibrating with beautiful Peace.

What a way to start the day!!

Peace Sign

in

the sand!

You can check out Karma Krew online at their site and on Facebook!

Have an awesome Monday!!

xoxoxo

what to do with all that pulp?!

 

I often speak about making homemade almond milk.

It's SO easy!! and yummers!!

After the whole process is done you are left with the pulp of the almonds.

I dehydrate it and then stick it in the freezer.

Then what?

I finally made something with it......

Easy, yummy, and healthy!

Still had some Chard so I wrapped it up in one leaf.

Also awesome on any crackers or stuff a pepper or tomato!!

I am trying to use what I have in the kitchen. I feel horrible when I throw things away so I am setting an intention:

Use what you have and only buy what you are going to use.

I get so excited when everything looks so beautiful at the market, but, I can only eat so much food!!

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Shout out to our recent guest of honor.....ELLA!

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A dear family friend passed away this week. It was unexpected and quite haunting. It's so hard to know what to say or do when this happens to people that you care about. Do they want to be left alone? Do they care if you care? How could I for a second come close to understanding the pain this family is feeling? All I can do is send all of my love and prayers and thoughts to them. Collectively I know it will make a difference somehow. He was a man who was calm and collected, cool as a cucumber, loving, and has a beautiful family. Safe travels to your next destination!!

Say I love you as much as possible & have a great weekend.

xoxoxo

What an amazingly beautiful and chilly weekend!!

I know it's pretty relative to say that 50 degrees is chilly, but, it was a welcomed change of season for us Floridians!!

Riding up to Ft Pierce....Brrrrr!

Saturday was an early morning and I was super motivated in the kitchen!

Walnut Tacos, Almond Pate, Sprouts, & Sauerkraut!!

This recipe was quick and easy!

WALNUT TACOS

Soak the walnuts - 2 cups- for 8-10 hrs in filtered water

Into the food processor:

walnuts

 handful parsley

handful cilantro

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp coriander

3/4 Tbsp nama shoyu or Braggs (strong taste)

pinch cayenne

I used Swiss Chard leaves as my tortillas....you can also use romaine!

Add some salsa, avocado, "cheeze", even a little hot sauce!

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I also soaked a bunch of almonds for almond milk and had some left over to make an almond pate.

I basically threw a bunch of nutrient rich yummy foods that I had on hand into the processor.

celery

dill

parsley

hemp seeds

1 cup almonds

chunk of red onion

lemon!!

kelp granules

you can always add whatever spices you like

Add this to salads, sandwiches, wrap it in nori!!

I always add sea vegetables any chance I get. The kelp doesn't have a very strong taste but adds a lot of minerals.

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The Kraut is done!!

I was happy to finally put my stinky kraut into the fridge on Sunday!

I add it to salads and try to eat a pile with every meal.

Your gut flora will thank you!!

Enjoy this beautiful Monday!

Much Love.

xoxoxoxo

new look!

I thought I would switch it up a bit....I love the veggies!!

Do you like it? 

xo

CANCER fighting foods

Last night I attended one of Dina's ( Raw Vegan Gourmet) "cooking" classes.

therawvegangourmet.com

 It's focus was on cancer fighting foods. I can only speak for myself, but, a huge part of eating a raw/vegan diet is to rid your body of potential cancer causing substances. We CLEANSE ourselves through food, activity, thought, meditation, anything that keeps us on the path of PURE and clean living. 

She started her class with a video from the Hippocrates Health Institute about the business of cancer and the statistics behind it. This is information that is plentiful all over the web and in every book I have ever read having to do with raw or vegan ways of life. It's heart breaking and amazing at the same time.

How did we as humans, highly intelligent beings, get to a place of being these blind and lazy followers of business people (some docs) who don't know what is REALLY going on or don't care?

I don't want to generalize or clump the whole medical world into this but there are staggering stats that show this overwhelming attitude of ignorance.

" Heal thy self with thy food." - Hippocrates

How simple is it to think about what you are putting into your mouth?

How do we make this shift of consciousness happen?

What has to happen to make people realize that from childhood we are slowly killing ourselves if we don't open our eyes and make a change?

I was sitting behind a young woman, 30's,  last night who had lost her hair due to cancer treatment. She didn't taste anything that was served because it was all raw vegetables. I don't know much about chemo or radiation ,but, I am assuming it might have to do with the possible bacteria on raw organic produce?

Help me out here!!!

I would like to be educated on this.

any thoughts?

I know that I would rather live a shorter life feeling like a million bucks than a life full of sickness and pain.

Thats why I love the way I eat and encourage others to just try it out. You don't have to be vegan.....just try 1 meal without animal products and see how you feel afterwards. And raw food will have you running circles with energy!!

Here is my favorite recipe from last night.

Thank you Dina!

Sprout Hummus

1 cup sprouts : mung, garbanzo, lentil, etc

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp evoo

1 clove garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

hot sauce or cayenne for a little kick!

blend on high speed until desired consistency

Wrap this in a collard leaf with some veggies or put it on a salad!!

Have an awesome weekend!

Go and support your local vegan or raw cafe!!

xoxoxo

fermented yumminess!

 I have a love affair with sauerkraut.....weird I know! My family brought me home the most amazing kraut from North Carolina and I just ran out of it.

What to do?

Make some more!!

I found a fermentation jug online and this is the first time I am using it. If it turns out well then I'll tell you where to get it!

I spent about an hr processing all of the green and purple cabbage. It took 4 heads to fill it and could have used half of another one.

It will take 4 days to ferment and then hopefully I will have yummy Kraut!! And a lot of it!!

Sauerkraut has amazing health benefits.

Cabbage offers a host of health benefits. It is high in vitamins A and C. Studies have shown the cruciferous vegetables can help lower cholesterol levels. Cabbage also provides a rich source of phytonutrient antioxidants. In addition, it has anti-inflammatory properties, and some studies indicate it may help combat some cancers. However, this already helpful vegetable becomes a superfood when it is pickled.


Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/033659_sauerkraut_health_benefits.html#ixzz1lnytVFc5

I hope everyone saw the full moon last night. It was stunning.

Have a great day!

peace & light

xoxoxo

Super Bowl Sunday

Sunday has always been my most favorite day, well, everyday is my favorite!!

This Sunday was especially fun b/c of Super Bowl. The football game of course had nothing to do with it....at all! It was another excuse for us to get together and have a great time. No shortage of that around here!! My parents just moved into an awesome new home in Sewell's Point and the fam came together there for the first time.

Daryl built these cool boards for a game called CORNHOLE. I guess it's a northern thing because none of us Floridians had ever heard of it. It was a great time!!

Mile always has the best seat!

Some how all of the guys color coordinated....hmmm!

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend.

Tomorrow night is a full moon.....hoping to paddle board at sunset.

love the life you live, live the life you love

xoxoxo

Whats love got to do with it?

"The most important part of the yoga practice is eating a vegetarian diet."

- Sri K Pattabhi Jois

It seems that as soon as I start to think about adding animal products into my diet I find another reason not to.

Yoga and Vegetarianism

by Sharon Gannon

This is my most recent inspiration and validation to the commitment I have made to leaving animal products out of my life. The one thing that keeps me on my path is the thought of harming something that has an energetic life of it's own. Whether it's a bug or a cow.....all the same.

Mosquitoes are one exception.....sorry fellas!

This is a short and POWERful book.

Check it out as well as her site JivamuktiYoga.com

peace

light

xoxo

Lentil Loaf Goodness

This is the second try for a Lentil Loaf. My first try ended up being more of a lentil crumble! From what I read.....I am not the only one with this experience.

I found the perfect recipe!!!

It's moist and yummy and smells outrageous.....according to Josh!

When you spend an hour in the kitchen it feels good to hear those words from your husband walking in the door......."what smells so damn good"!

I urge you to give it a try and let me know how it comes out.......would you tweak the recipe?

Vegan Lentil Walnut Loaf

makes 1 loaf

1 cup lentils ( I use the TruRoots sprouted)

3 cups veg stock 

1 large yellow onion

1 large carrot

1 stalk celery

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1 cup breadcrumbs ( I used gluten free)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (toasted)

3 tbsp ground flax mixed w/ 1/2 cup H2O ( I used the MILA chia mix)

1 tsp oregano ( I used Braggs spice blend)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp pure maple syrup ( grade B)

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar ( used red wine)

preheat oven to 350

In a small bowl, combine the flax(or chia) and the 1/2 c water. set aside.

simmer together the lentils and broth 25 mins

( If using the sprouted, follow directions on bag)

prepare veggies

chop onion

grate carrot

dice celery

( I threw the carrot and celery into the processor)

saute onion and celery in evoo over medium high heat for 6 mins, or until tender, not caramelized.

add garlic and carrot and cook for about another 4 mins.

Toast walnuts in oven for 6-7 mins. Add them to the onion/carrot/celery/garlic mixture on stove and stir well.

Add oregano or spice blend, salt, and pepper as well and take it off the stove and transfer into a large bowl.

Add breadcrumbs, flax/water and cooked lentils and toss well. Press mixture into a oiled loaf pan and set aside.

topping.

In a small bowl combine ketchup, maple syrup and vinegar.

Spread on top of loaf and bake for 40 mins.

( next time I would press half of the mixture, top with sauce, put the rest into the pan and top with sauce.

The sauce is so good!)

Serve with side salad or any green veggies......the more color the better!

Eat,Live,Run

(original recipe site)